Halloween is a special time of year, filled with horror and fright. While the Zelda series has a family-friendly tone, it can also have its mature, scary moments. When I was a child playing A Link to the Past for the first time, I was terrorized by the wizard Agahnim to the point of having nightmares! Ganon from Ocarina of Time is terrorizing in many ways, and the story of Majora’s Mask is downright creepy to anyone who has played it.

Halloween isn’t just about scares and terror, however. This week on Fanart Friday, we’re celebrating three things that both Zelda and Halloween allow us to do: have fun, summon courage and face your deepest fears.

Amanda’s Pick

There’s no way I could pass up a chance to pair up Link and Zelda, and Halloween is the perfect opportunity for some adorable Zelink action. This picture puts the royal couple in coordinating costumes, dressing as Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip from Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. What I love about this picture, aside from the cute factor, is it combines my two favorite things on the planet: Zelda and Disney.

Link and Zelda’s relationship actually parallels Aurora and Phillip. Both princesses enter an eternal sleep, and the ones who wake them up must defeat a terrible evil. Halloween doesn’t always have to be scary — dressing up in costume is what really makes it fun!

Morgan’s Pick

No villain in the Zelda series is more terrifying than Ganon, the Demon King. In this piece by DeviantArt user Txikimorin, Ganon is portrayed in his true form, original to the artist and terrifying in sight. Remember the moment you played Ocarina of Time, a period where the internet was free from spoilers. Remember the splendor, delight, and horror when you faced the Demon King Ganon. Maybe then, you can remember the horror he brought upon the land of Hyrule.

Reece’s Pick

It’s Majora’s Mask that’s usually hailed as the creepiest Zelda game ever, but let’s not forget that its predecessor, Ocarina of Time, was the first to provide players with some disturbing moments.

You often see gritty adaptations of mostly innocent Nintendo franchises around the internet — Zelda, Mario, Pokemon and so on — for comical or shocking effect. But the funny thing about this artwork by DeviantArt user JohnnyCago is that it isn’t really all that exaggerated.

This is how you encounter Dead Hand: a decaying, gormless husk found in the darkest, dirtiest underground hole in Hyrule. Then there’s the fact that this thing is covered in what appear to be bloodstains, and there are multiple hands attempting to grab and hold you in place to give you a closer, terrifying look at that hanging jaw. Nope.

This piece captures that scene from the game perfectly, especially as this is how many of us imagined it as kids when navigating the Bottom of the Well for the first time. Haggard hands are seen coming from every direction in complete darkness, with skulls lining the floor to add to the morbid tone. No doubt this will kindly bring back some scarring childhood memories. That “E for Everyone” rating sure was ambitious.

This is why you’re warned to be careful when standing by a well, kids; the fall downwards is the least of your concerns. Happy Halloween!